Chinese word

瞬间

Pronunciation

Pinyinshùn jiān

Meaning

  • adverbinstantly

Example

他瞬间明白了。tā shùn jiān míng bái le

He understood instantly.

Illustration for 瞬间 (instantly)

More examples

烟雾散去，灯光瞬间消失了。yān wù sàn qù dēng guāng shùn jiān xiāo shī le

The smoke cleared, and the light disappeared instantly.

Core concept

A tiny slice of time, so brief that a change can seem to happen all at once.

Common phrases

  • 瞬间明白shùn jiān míng bái

    understand instantly

  • 瞬间消失shùn jiān xiāo shī

    disappear instantly

  • 瞬间完成shùn jiān wán chéng

    complete instantly

Similar words

马上mǎ shàng: Shows that an action or state starts right away, without a wait.
立刻lì kè: Shows that an action or change happens immediately, with almost no delay.
立即lì jí: Marks an action that is to happen immediately, without delay, often in formal or official language.
一下子yí xià zi: Shows that an action or result appears suddenly within a short time, often all at once.

Definition in Chinese

表示时间极短的一刻，也可作副词，表示某事在很短时间内发生或完成。biǎo shì shí jiān jí duǎn de yí kè yě kě zuò fù cí biǎo shì mǒu shì zài hěn duǎn shí jiān nèi fā shēng huò wán chéng

Word origin

瞬 (shùn, "blink") + 间 (jiān, "interval") combines a blink-length action with a stretch of time, giving the sense of a very brief moment.

Usage tips

  • In conversational Chinese, its adverbial use often comes before the verb, marking a change that happens before there is time to notice the steps between.

Other meanings

  • momentnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 瞬时shùn shíinstantaneousadjective

Word lists with this word